Dr Pamela Ugwudike

Associate Professor in Criminology

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Dr Pamela Ugwudike is Associate Professor in Criminology within Social Sciences: Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Southampton.

I joined the University of Southampton as Associate Professor in Criminology in 2017. Prior to joining Southampton, I was at Swansea University where I held several academic posts over a period of ten years. First, I was a Research Officer, then a Lecturer in Criminology and subsequently a Senior Lecturer in Criminology, in the College of Law and Criminology. I led the Swansea Service Evaluation Team (SSET) which was one of the College’s research teams from 2013-2017. SSET was an interdisciplinary team of researchers involved in research within criminal justice agencies such as probation, prison and youth justice services. The team’s aim was to promote evidence-based frontline practice. My role as the Director of SSET involved leading the team’s research projects. I also supervised SSET’s Research Assistants and the DTC/ESRC students working on the team’s projects as part of their PhD research.

I am currently leading several research projects on humane and evidence-based practice in criminal justice settings. I am also a co-coordinator (with Dr Jill Annison at Plymouth University) of the European chapter of CREDOS - http://www.credos.online/about-us/) which is an international network of academics, researchers, criminal justice policy makers and professionals with an interest in developing evidence-based criminal justice practice. I am also a member of the Howard League for Penal Reform’ Research Advisory Group and the Offender Health Research Network in Wales (OHRN-Cymru). In addition, I am a member of the British Society of Criminology’s Executive Committee, the European Journal of Probation’s Advisory Board and I sit on the International Advisory Board of the Youth Voice Journal. I am also an alumna of the Welsh Crucible for Future Research Leaders and a reviewer for several international peer-reviewed journals including: Criminology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, and Criminal Justice and Behaviour. In 2016, I was named one of Swansea University’s inspiring women: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/personnel/equal-opportunities/events/inspiringwomen2016/

I welcome enquiries about potential PhD supervision in the following areas:

Youth Justice

Probation

Prison

Rights-based approaches in criminal justice systems

Social justice issues in criminology and criminal justice

Legitimacy and compliance with legal authorities

Critical Criminology

Research

Publications

Teaching

Contact

Research interests

My research spans the field of evidence-based policy and practice in criminal justice systems and my research projects focus on the role of theory and research in the formulation and application of humane criminal justice policies.

I am currently leading (as Principal Investigator) several studies that are exploring the interface between theory, research and frontline practice in youth justice, probation and prison services. Examples include a study of the implementation of children’s rights in youth justice settings, a study of probation interventions for men released from prison on licence and a study of interventions for young parents in three prisons.

Previously, I completed research projects on the application of evidence-based supervision skills in Youth Offending Services in Wales and the Jersey Probation and Aftercare Service. In October 2016, the Jersey Supervision Skills Study undertaken jointly with my colleagues Peter Raynor and Professor Maurice Vanstone was awarded the Confederation of European Probation’s (CEP) inaugural Award for research citing its outstanding contribution to probation practice.

My research projects have been funded by the Welsh Government, the Youth Justice Board, the National Probation Service and third sector organisations such as the Prison, Advice and Care Trust.

I will deliver a keynote speech to the International Conference on Effective Strategies for Working with Involuntary Clients: International Perspectives, in Monash University, Prato, Italy: https://www.cascw.org/portfolio-items/pratoconference/ and the conference will involve knowledge exchange between academics/researchers, policy makers, and criminal justice professionals from all over the world. I have also delivered training workshops on evidence-based practice to Youth Justice Professionals, on the invitation of the Youth Justice Board in Wales (YJB Cymru).

Principal Investigator: An Evaluation of the Supporting Young Parents in PrisonProject (March 2017-ongoing)Funder: Pact Cymru.This study is exploring the family engagement support available to young parents in prison and their families. The study’s objective is to identify effective strategies for: directing parents in prison and their families to relevant services; improving the emotional and mental wellbeing of their children; reducing the risk of intergenerational offending; and developing good practice in the field of family support across the prison estate.

Principal investigator: Evaluating the impact of a Mindfulness-Based/Emotional intelligence programme in a Community Justice Setting (January 2017-ongoing)Funder: National Probation Service.This project involves evaluating a programme for people undertaking probation orders. The project, which started in January 2017, is the first of its kind in a criminal justice setting in England and Wales; it will assess the impact of a Mindfulness and emotional intelligence programme on outcomes for service users. Its wider impact will be to identify skills and strategies that can help improve the wellbeing of service users and produce benefits for the wider public. Examples of these benefits include reductions in rates of reoffending and victimisation. The study will generate findings that will inform probation policy and practice.

Principal Investigator: A Cyber-Technology Framework for Evaluating Practices in the Justice System (2016- ongoing).Funder: Cherish - Digital Economy Centre.This project involves creating a software package for evaluating practices in the justice system to identify and promote practice skills associated with positive outcomes for service users and the wider public.

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS

Welsh Centre for Crime and Social Justice

Collaboration of Researchers for the Effective Development of Offender Supervision (CREDOS)